11 reasons a 23-year-old should run your social media

Sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn have grown exponentially in the social media age, each having different strengths and weaknesses for users. But the debate continues: For companies, who should be running their official pages, of which some are followed by millions of potential and actual customers?

I read an article yesterday that listed 11 reasons why a 23-year-old shouldn’t be running a company’s social media campaign, and it reeked of get-off-my-lawn-ness. The general impression of a post-grad is that they are extremely outspoken, and will say anything on a social media page.

And for a lot of people my age, that’s absolutely correct. But a company should vet whoever they select to run their social media campaign, so if they find one of the responsible 23-year-olds who want to advance in their career, they should absolutely hand over the passwords and allow them to speak to the masses.

Here are 11 reasons why a post-grad should be running your social media pages.

1. They’re from the social media generation

If you want someone who is going to know the lingo of Twitter #And #Won’t #Tweet #Like #This, you need to go to the age group who knows best about what they’re doing.

2. They actually have the most experience

I know the article that debunked using youngsters for social media said post-grads are too immature, but when it comes to sites like Facebook, they’re actually the most experienced group on the planet. Nobody has been on Facebook longer than your average 20-something, because they had access before the site was opened up to everyone. Remember, it was a college site first, and they’ve seen every evolution.

3. They’re energetic about using social media

For a post-grad, Facebook isn’t just for sharing baby pictures. Twitter isn’t just for seeing what a celebrity ate for lunch. It’s used for seeking out information and creating their own content.

4. They seek social media information better than anyone

I doubt most of our parents are on sites like Mashable and other social media news sites, learning about the latest and greatest advancements in social media that will keep the company’s campaign on the cutting-edge, but post-grads are. Social media isn’t just about sending a tweet and then walking away; it’s also about learning from other successful campaigns and trying new ways of getting the message out.

5. They’re good at forming bonds with strangers

A high follower count can be important and beneficial to a young job-seeker, because you never know who might be watching and interested. They know the methods and nuances for scoring a new follower, and what company wouldn’t want someone who knows how to lure in new customers or clients?

6. They’ll work in their free-time

The typical post-grad has the latest iPhone with the latest app for their social media sites, which means your company will be engaging followers outside of the 9-5 business hours.

7. Chances are, they’ve already screwed up

Lessons are learned from mistakes made, in any walk of life. The best social media campaigns are the ones that push the boundaries and don’t play it safe. Youngsters have likely had that moment where they posted something on their personal page that was eventually deleted because it went over the line. They probably made a mental note to never do that again, which means your company won’t suffer the same fate.

8. They won’t need social media training

If you don’t want to spend days or even weeks showing someone how to use Twitter, hire someone who already uses it. It saves the company a lot of time.

9. They probably know about your company, through social media

Post-grads are very connected to brands through social media because they like to score deals. After all, they usually have less money available, so they seek out special offers by following brands and companies on Facebook and Twitter. Therefore, there’s a better chance they’ll already be up-to-speed on your product.

10. They’re as good at networking as their older counterparts

Maybe even better so, because the recent job market has taught those who truly want jobs to work their fingers to the bone by networking and contacting those who have job openings. This pays off in the social media world, too. A post-grad will attend tweet-ups and social media conferences to form bonds and get the word out about your product.

11. They’re a cheaper hire!

Younger employees are just breaking into the professional world, so they’re willing to work longer hours and do all the extracurriculars to impress their boss. And frequently, they’ll do it for next-to-nothing!

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I read that Time article too and was all set to be all high and mighty and correct you that the title was “shouldn’t” but I liked reading your perspective too – esp. the #outofcontrol #soembarassing #hashtagabuse.

Great. I wish there was a way to compile all of these so people can see that you shouldn’t count people out because of their age. I wrote a rebuttal as well, feel free to check it out. Thanks for sharing! http://bit.ly/Rdf0Jh